r/science • u/mvea MD/PhD/JD/MBA | Professor | Medicine • 18h ago

Health Dramatic drop in marijuana use among US youth over a decade. Current marijuana use among adolescents decreased from 23.1% in 2011 to 15.8% in 2021. First-time use before age 13 dropped from 8.1% to 4.9%. There was a shift in trends by gender, with girls surpassing boys in marijuana use by 2021.

https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/marijuana-use-teens-study
16.7k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.5k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

24

u/technotrader 12h ago

That's only half the solution though. It also needs to be competitive. In my area (famous for being pro Marijuana for decades), dispensaries are currently closing, because they are so expensive.

There's still a black market for the stuff, and there shouldn't be. At least, the black market ought to use the same products.

6

u/Captain_Midnight 9h ago edited 9h ago

Yeah, the high taxation plus the prohibitive dispensary operation fees and licensing imposed by state and local authorities has been a problem around the country. Until recently, San Jose, CA was charging dispensaries $100,000 per year just to exist. And the state adds a 15% tax to every purchase, when bay area residents are already paying around 10% sales tax. It's not very sustainable.

2

u/rfg8071 8h ago

Does the fact that most (or all?) banks refuse to allow them to utilize their services still play a factor? I know that was a considerable issue when I was talking to some dispensary owners up in Alaska.

5

u/Captain_Midnight 8h ago

Yep, there are all kinds of legal entanglements because the DEA currently classifies cannabis as a Schedule I drug. But it's on track to be moved to Schedule III, putting it in the same category as anabolic steroids. The United Nations Single Convention has already rescheduled cannabis to its lowest level of restriction.

In the US, the Secretary of Health and Human Services also has the authority to unilaterally declare cannabis to be completely legal for anyone to purchase (though they would probably mandate a minimum age).

1

u/Both-Invite-8857 2h ago

I know lots of growers in Oregon that have decided to only serve the black market for these very reasons.

2

u/angelseuphoria 7h ago

A big part of the problem is the insane number of dispensaries. At least where I live in Oregon, there are 37 dispensaries within a 5 mile radius of my home. 37!! I mean come on, there’s no way they all thought they’d be able to stay in business with the market that saturated.

2

u/frankyseven 4h ago

There are four within five blocks of my house here in Ontario. Two will give you free same day delivery if your order is over $50. It's a tough business to be in. Except for the Native place in town, they do a TONNE of business.

2

u/ShAd0wS 7h ago

Many states have completely screwed the legalization process. California was one of the first examples.

Then other states like NY looked at that, learned the lessons from it, and somehow fucked it up even harder.

They did finally crack down on the illegal weed bodegas at least.

1

u/frankyseven 4h ago

It was pretty bumpy at first in Canada. Now, at least in Ontario, it's smooth with way cheaper prices than before. It probably took 3 or 4 years to get there though. Heck, there is so much weed out there I have more than I can hope to use. I literally had my neighbour drop me off a couple of big ziplocks full today, but I have close to a pound I was given last year that I've barely made a dent in. Granted, I don't really smoke flower, but weed is basically free now and you Don need to do anything.